Tilting divider plate for file drawers



'May 28, 1957 c. F. WQLTERS TILTING DIVIDER PLATE FOR FILE DRAWERS 2Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept FIGI ATTORNEYS May 28, 1957 c. F. WOLTERSTIL-TING DIVIDER PLATE FOR FILE DRAWERS Filed Sept. '16, 1955 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CARL F. WOLTERS ATTORNEYS United States Patent2,793,643 TILTING DIVIDER PLATE FOR-FILE DRAWERS CarlF. Wolters,New'Canaan, Gonm, assignontotspen'y Rand Corporation, New-York,,N.'Y., acorporationof Delaware Application September16, 1955, Serial No.-534,760: 1 Claim. (Cl. 129-28) can be locked from sliding backward,

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide a divider platewhich, when the weight of the contents presses against it. in this.tendencytoslide rearward, will be. tilted .rearwardly. andautomatically-locked inzposition to prevent it from being movedrearwardly.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a plate which can, atwill, be manually moved to any desired position and then be locked whenmanually tilted rearwardly.

A further object is to make the divider plate of thin metal withsubstantially unobstructed front and rear surfaces so as to not to takeup any more filing space in the drawer than necessary.

In brief and general terms the invention includes a file drawer in whichis disposed a divider plate which can be tilted and means disposedbetween the plate and the drawer automatically to lock the plate inposition when the plate is tilted manually or by the pressure of thefile contents thereupon.

A further feature is a channel at the lower sides of the drawer, a trackmember in the channel, a guide member in the track and connected to theplate, and means on the guide member to lock with the track when theplate is tilted in a predetermined direction.

More particularly the track is provided with spaced apertures and theguide member has a finger to be moved into one of the apertures to lockthe plate, by reason of connections between the plate and guide memberwhich causes the guide member to be lifted when the plate is tilted.

A further feature concerns the fact that the plate is of thin metal andhas unobstructed front and rear faces.

Thepresent preferred form which the invention may assume is illustratedin the drawings of which:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of the drawer taken on the line 11 ofFig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the drawer with certain parts in sectionand others broken away and looking at the left side of the drawer;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detailed longitudinal vertical sectional viewshowing the guide member in unlocked condition;

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view showing the guide member in lockedposition; and,

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the guide and track.

Referring nOW merely to the specific form of the invention shown in thedrawings, there is a file drawer 2,793,643 Patented May 28, 1957 havinga bottom wall 10, side walls, 11 and 12, front wall 13; and rear wall14. Longitudinally disposed along the-side wallsll and 12 at the bottomthereof and extending outwardly therefrom are channels 15 and 16preferably integrally formed. In each channel is disposed 'a U-shapedtrack member of metal with its open side facing the interior of thedrawer. This track member, as seen particularly in Fig. 4, is formed ofrelatively thin sheetmetal and may be spot welded along: its bottom andsidesto the adjacent walls of the channels 15 and 16} His formed of asheet metal blank, intothe U- shaped outline with a bottom wall 17, avertical side wall 18, a lip 19 extending upwardly adjacent theinteriori of the drawer, and with a flat horizontalwall 20 at the top ofthewall 18and cut away at spaced points to form apertures or-notches21for a purpose later to bedescri-bed. On therear side of each notch oraperture 21 the horizontal wall 20 is of greater width and bent back onitself as at 22to reinforce the rear wall of the notch and this foldedportion lies slightly below the plane of 'tlie-wall20 also to actasamore certain stop as will be laterset forth.

In the drawer is disposed; a divider plate 23 which is in'width justslightly less than the drawer. It is-made of relatively thin sheet metalprovided withhorizontal cross-wise stifiening corrugations 24 an'd withanextended topportion bent back on itself as at 25 t0 givegreaterstrength to-the uppenportion when beingpushed back and forthintheoperation and adjustment of the plate 23. The lower end ofthis'bent-baekportion 25 is turned in as at 26 to lie in the uppercorrugation 24 as shown in Fig. 2 so as not to interfere with the edgesof papers filed in the drawer. The upper portion of the plate 23 and thebent-back portion 25 at each side thereof are provided with outwardlyextending cars 27 which, when these two portions lie flat against eachother, are alined and a rubber band 28 is disposed therearound. Theseears will prevent the plate from being inclined too greatly since theywill encounter the top edges of the side walls of the drawer if thus toogreatly inclined. They also act as grips for the fingers of the operatorin moving the plate in one direction or the other.

At the sides of the plate 23 near the bottom thereof are rearwardly benttapered flanges 29 which at the rear of the bottom edge are providedwith dependent toes 30 which are adapted to contact the bottom wall 10of the drawer when the plate 23 is tilted in a rearward direction. Thelower edge of the plate 23 is rolled around as at 31 to form an elongatesleeve through which extends a rod 32. The ends of the rod 32 are fittedinto apertures 33 disposed about centrally of guide members 34. When theplate 23 is disposed vertically as shown. in Fig. 3, the guide membernormally lies flat against the bottom of the track. The guide member istapered slightly and is of slightly less depth than the track in whichit lies and decreases in depth toward the rear end which is providedwith an upwardly extending finger 35 which has a flat top portion 36, avertical end wall 37, and a downwardly sloping rear face 38.

Briefly summarizing the operation of the device it will be seen thatwhen the plate 23 is in a vertical position, it can be manually movedfreely back and forth since the toes 30, as seen in Fig. 3, are out ofcontact with the 'bottom of the drawer and the guides 34 can move freelyback and forth in the track in which they are disposed.

In this movement the fingers 35 are in lowered position.

J raise the fingers 35 toward the apertured upper flange 20 of the trackmember. As the guide is moved in this position of the plate 23 thefinger will move along the under face of the track until an aperture ornotch 21 is en- .countered whereupon the finger will enter the notch, asshown in Figs. 2 and 4 to lockthe plate in this position. The weight ofthe material in the drawer to the front. of the plate in its tiltedposition will hold it in this position and thus keep it locked. Theplate of course can be .tilted rearwardly manually when desired. Thereinforced rear wall of each notch 21 by reason of the folded portion 22of the top flange of the track will stop the finger at the first notchit encounters after the plate 23 is tilted and will act as astrengthener to this flange at this point of contact.

When the plate 23 is to be moved from a locked position, it is moved toa vertical position, whereupon the rod 32 is lowered as well as theguides 34 which will then allow the plate 23 to be moved to a newposition, and its subsequent locking in the new position may proceed asabove'stated.

While I have described what I consider to be a highly desirableembodiment of my invention, it is obvious that many changes in formcould be made withoutdeparting from the invention, and I, therefore, donot limit myself to the exact form herein shown and described, nor toanything less than the'whole of my invention as hereinbefore set forth,and as hereinafter claimed. a

What I claim, is:

In combination a file drawer having a longitudinal channel extendingoutwardly from each side of the bottom of the drawer, a U-shaped trackmember in each channel with its open side facing toward the interior ofthe drawer, with spaced apertures in its upper leg, an elongate guidebar disposed within each track and of depth slightly less than depthbetween the legs of the track, the end of the guide member toward therear of the drawer being tapered, an upwardly extending finger on thetapered end of the guide member and adapted to engage the apertures inthe track, a divider plate of relatively thin sheet material withunobstructed front and rear faces disposed in the drawer, a rodextending across the bottom of the drawer and connected at each end to amedial point on the guide members, the lower edge of the plate beingrolled around the rod, side flanges along the lower portion of the plateand extending toward the rear of the drawer, dependent toes on the rearlower edges of the flanges to contact the bottom of the drawer when theplate is tilted rearwardly whereby the guide members are lifted throughthe intermediary of the rod in the manner of third class levers to liftthe fingers thereon into engagement with the apertures of the tracks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,124,775 Martin Jan. 12, 1915 2,139,283 Rengenhardt Dec. 8, 19382,312,742 Andersen Mar. 2, 1943 2,648,337 Kent Aug. 11, 1953 2,702,553Regenhardt et al Feb. 22, 1955 2,758,602 Anderson Aug. 14, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS 19,914 Great Britain Oct. 4, 1899 933,880 France Jan. 5, 1948

